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Monday, February 19, 2001
Even after a long, disappointing day at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, Bob Coolen remembered to mention the sponsor. Wahine run out of gas
Line scores
By Dave Reardon
Star-Bulletin"After seven hours of softball, we ran out of Chevron, basically," the University of Hawaii coach said yesterday.
The running-on-empty Wahine played three games on the final day of the Chevron Paradise Classic. They stalled in the third, against No. 14 Cal State Fullerton, losing, 8-0, on a one-hitter by Gina Oaks.
If UH (10-6) had won that one, it would have had to play CSUF (12-3) again for the title.
Coolen wants his team to remember the Titans.
"This was an opportunity to see what a Top 10-team looks like. I think after the next ranking, they'll be Top 10, no problem," he said. "Now we know what we need to do. We need to get hungrier."
UH went 4-4 this week at home after a 6-2 start on the road in Florida.
"We have to have more communication and start believing that we are a good ballclub," all-tournament third baseman April Crowell said.
Crowell was one of UH's brightest spots over the course of the four-day tournament, hitting .444 with four doubles.
The freshman from Roosevelt High has adjusted quickly to Division I softball.
"She has the ability to play at this level," Coolen said. "She's one of those gifted athletes. We knew she'd come in and do a good job for us."
But even with help from other all-tourney performers --Natalie Gonzales at second base (.346), center fielder Kristin Anderson (.350) and pitcher Felicity Witt (two wins, 1.22 ERA) -- Hawaii didn't have enough to slow down powerful CSUF.
Oaks was the outstanding pitcher and most valuable player.
She hit .333 with a double, homer and seven RBIs.
But Oaks really dominated from the pitcher's circle, going 5-0 with a 0.21 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 31 innings. She didn't know much about Hawaii's lineup when the tournament began, but got better with each game as her knowledge grew.
"By the third game, I knew which ones were their stronger hitters, where they could hit the ball, where they foul them off hard," she said.
Hawaii doesn't play again until its alumnae game Saturday.
The Wahine has long another break before they host Loyola Marymount in a March 6 doubleheader.
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii